


Jarida Week 2014

by Tyira



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Jarida Week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-01-26 09:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1683380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tyira/pseuds/Tyira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is based on the Teen Titans episode Aftershock Part 2. Jack is just Jack, Merida is Terra, Hiccup is Robin, Rapunzel is Starfire, Astrid is Raven and Flynn is Cyborg.</p></blockquote>





	1. Dreams

_I woke up and he was screaming_  
 _I'd left him dreaming_  
 _I roll over and shake him tightly_

_Laura Marling_

* * *

 

They lay together during a long, cold, winter night. The snow was falling softly, matching the peace in Jack's mind. Merida shifted closer into Jack's embrace.

* * *

  
  
_He saw her. She was ice skating with him across the frozen pond._  
  
 _Suddenly a snowball hit Jack's pale cheek. "You little—" He went to the side of the pond and balled up a bit of snow. His arm held the snowball carefully behind his head, ready to fly. She wasn't there. Jack turned around. Suddenly her lips met his. For a brief moment Jack lost his previous thoughts and the snowball fell to the ice, shattering across the reflective surface._

  
_"God," he breathed after she had glided away. Her hands—her perfect, pale, mittened hands—were held behind her back as she flew across the pond. Jack regained his senses and made another snowball. This time he hit her—right in her mop of vermillion. A sharp intake of breath could be heard from her lips—her curved, pink, lovely lips— and she prepared to return the favor._  
  
 _The sun shone over the two lovebirds as they continued their snowball fight. It was a nice bit of warmth on the frigid day. A small smile grew on Jack's lips, simply watching her make her snowballs and skate along the frozen pond._  
  
Crack.

* * *

  
  
Merida woke immediately to two things at once: a sharp kick to her shin and the clatter of the window being thrown open. She fought Jack's hug and climbed out of bed to shut the window. Dressed as she was in thick fleece pajamas, she still felt near-frozen from the ever-increasing snowfall outside. Now it seemed to be a blizzard, a far cry from the gentle precipitation there had been when she'd fallen asleep. The wind blew so strongly she struggled to shut the window. By the time Merida had closed the window, a small hill of snow had piled up on the carpet.  
  
She crawled back into bed, snuggling back next to Jack.

* * *

  
  
_"Hey," he whispered comfortingly, though he was just as terrified as she. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Okay?"_  
  
 _She nodded breathlessly._  
  
 _"Okay," he said, thinking quickly. "Okay, get closer to me. Just a little." He reached toward a long, crooked stick, ready to fling her to the side. She struggled to get the pick of the skates into the ice to go forward. But somehow, she moved forward, inching closer to Jack. Closer and closer._  
  
Crack.

Splash.  
  
 _"Merida!"_

* * *

  
  
"Jack!" Merida growled, shaking him tightly. "Jack, wake up!"  
  
He sat bolt upright, yelling her name. He was warmer than she'd ever seen as long as she'd known him. Tears gripped the corners of his eyes.  
  
"Jack, Jack," she said softly. "Hey, calm down." She straddled his waist and wrapped her arms around his bare torso, pushing his head into her shoulder. "What happened?"  
  
He shook his head, sniffling.  
  
"Okay," she said, stroking his ashen hair. "It's okay."  
  
He sniffed and straightened, pulling away from Merida. "You’re okay. So I’m okay. No big deal."  
  
She pushed a lock of hair away from his face and kissed his forehead. "You sure?"  
  
Again he sniffed. He rubbed his red eyes and returned her kiss. His lips left an icy feeling on her forehead. "Positive."  
  
Though unconvinced, Merida hugged him once more before climbing off of him. They both returned to their respective sides of the bed.  
  
She watched him quietly. His back shuddered with silent sobs until at last he was still. She wrapped an arm around him and the two slept in a troubled peace until morning.


	2. Sweet Nothing

"Hey, Mer," Hiccup said over the phone.  
  
"What do you want?" Merida growled. Hiccup had just woken her up from a nap.  
  
"Did you want to go out with us tonight?" he asked.  
  
Merida groaned. "This is what you woke me up for?"  
  
"Is—is that a no?"  
  
Merida sighed. "Only if you buy the first round."  
  
She could almost see his eyebrow rise. "How did you know we were going drinking?"  
  
"Is Frost coming?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then we're going drinking."  
  
"Okay, okay. Pick you up at eight?" Merida hung up before he could say another word. She checked her phone. Four hours until she had to be presentable. Merida flopped back on her bed and fell asleep.  


* * *

  
  
Merida woke up again. Still half-asleep, she checked her phone. Fifteen minutes. Great.  
  
Sloppily, she made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while pulling on a t-shirt. Her shorts were still unbuttoned. Water dripped from her hair after her recent shower.  
  
Two honks came from outside. She dashed out the door of her apartment, still clutching her gooey sandwich, and hurried toward Hiccup's clunky old truck.  
  
As Merida buckled, she said, "Why haven't you got rid of this rusty old crap car?"  
  
"I told you, I'm working on it."  
  
"Where's Frost?" Merida asked.  
  
"He's riding with Flynn and Rapunzel," said Astrid from the front passenger seat.  
  
Merida mentally wiped her forehead. Jack annoyed the hell out of her. At least after a few drinks he was tolerable.  
  
"Anyone else coming?" Merida asked.  
  
"No," said Hiccup. "Aster said he might, but I don't think he will."  
  
"Which bar?" asked Merida.  
  
" _The Bear and the Bow_."  
  
By that time, they were in town and looking for a parking space. They found one fairly close to the bar and entered. There was an excited cry from the rest of their company. Rapunzel ran forward to hug the three of them excitedly.  
  
Hiccup ordered a round of drinks. And another. And another. By the sixth drink, Jack was spouting nonsense.  
  
"And then I said, 'You keep the unicorn. I'll just take your car.' "  
  
Merida laughed so hard beer came out her nose. She ignored Jack's drunken laughter as she hacked and spluttered.  
  
"Do you know you're really pretty?" Jack said, squinting at her. He pushed a curl away from Merida's face. "Yeah. Really pretty."  
  
"You're pretty hot stuff yourself," she said. "The white hair's a wee bit weird, though."  
  
"Yeah." Jack ran a hand through his hair. "A bit."  
  
Merida sat back and poked Jack's big toe. "Why are you always barefoot?"  
  
"I hate _shoes_ ," said Jack. "My toes need _freedom_."  
  
Merida nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"Seriously, though, Mer, you have a nice face." He nodded satisfactorily. "Very nice. And your hair!" Jack took a swig of beer. "All crazy-like. Perfect."  
  
"It's a pain in the ass though," said Merida. "Can't do a damn thing with it."  
  
"Naw," said Jack, "it's perfect." He leaned toward her. "Let me…tell you a secret." Merida in turn leaned toward him. But what she received was no secret. Instead he locked his lips with hers. Merida pulled away at once and stood to slug him.  
  
"Aw, you shouldn't have—" Jack's words were cut off by her lips meeting his again. He gripped the back of her head and deepened the kiss.  
  
"Okay, lovebirds," interrupted Hiccup, who usually refused more than two beers and was still sober. Merida pulled away from Jack immediately. "Well, it's about midnight, so we should start getting you two home."  
  
Jack squinted up at Hiccup. "I want to go to Merida's house," he slurred.  
  
"Um…no."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked uncertainly. "I don't want you guys to do something you'll regret."  
  
"We won't," said Jack. "Promise."  
  
Hiccup looked to Merida for confirmation. Already half-asleep, she said, "Sure."  
  
Hiccup shrugged and dragged the two into his car. Astrid sat beside him and they drove to Merida's. Jack and Merida stumbled out onto the street and tripped up the stairs to her apartment. Almost five minutes passed before she could unlock the door. As soon as they made it inside, they both collapsed onto the couch and fell fast asleep.  


* * *

  
  
Jack woke to a curl of red hair in his mouth. He spit until the offending lock was removed. Then he realized what was happening. Merida had lain on top of him in the night. A hand rested on his chest beside her nose. Jack started and pushed her off onto the floor.  
  
"Hey, you—Jack?" She looked up at him through her hair. "Oh, God. Did we—"  
  
"No!" Jack said hurriedly. "I mean, I don't think so. I don't remember doing…anything."  
  
"Well, we're fully clothed," Merida remarked, getting to her feet. "That's a plus." She rubbed her head. "You need a little hair of the dog that bit 'cha?"  
  
Jack nodded and stretched out on her couch. Merida mixed up a strange concoction in the kitchen and handed a glass to Jack. "Don't think. Don't smell. Just swallow."  
  
Jack eyed her, and then the drink, and shrugged. He downed it and started to cough. "That is the nastiest thing I've ever tasted."  
  
"Well, it works, doesn't it?" She took hers too and moved Jack's legs to sit down. "So my face is nice, huh?"  
  
Jack paled, if that was possible, his eyes widening. "You remember that?"  
  
Merida nodded. "And my hair is perfect. 'All crazy-like.' "  
  
Jack put a hand to his forehead. "God."  
  
"And then—you kissed me."  
  
"God," he repeated. It was all coming back to him. Including… "But you kissed me back. Didn't you?"  
  
She reddened. "Yeah, but…"  
  
Jack cackled and shut his eyes. "Well, at least it meant nothing."  
  
"Yeah," Merida said with a small smile. "Nothing."

 


	3. Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on the Teen Titans episode Aftershock Part 2. Jack is just Jack, Merida is Terra, Hiccup is Robin, Rapunzel is Starfire, Astrid is Raven and Flynn is Cyborg.

_My name is Merida, and I have done horrible things. I have sworn to serve a dark master. I have obeyed his every command—and committed crimes in his name. I have betrayed and attacked everyone who used to be my friend. One by one, I have destroyed the Teen Titans. And with no one left to stop me, I have brought an entire city to its knees._   
  
_My name is Merida. I have done horrible things. And I have absolutely no regrets._

* * *

  
Pitch laughed darkly. "No more Titans. The city belongs to us, after all this time. Good work, Merida."  
  
Merida flew on a large rock through the cold, empty streets. "It was fun," she said with a sneer. She communicated with Pitch through a receiver in her ear. Robots marched below her, rank after rank of them. The Teen Titans had hurt her, and the safety and control Pitch offered was exactly what she needed.  
  
Suddenly shadows appeared in the mist—five of them. In sudden terror, Merida fell off her rock, crashing into the asphalt.  
  
"What’s going on?" she heard through her ear.  
  
"I don’t know," she said softly, rising to her feet. Merida looked around carefully. Squinting, she saw the figures begin to sharpen. "No," she murmured, "I killed you! How are you—"  
  
A green starbolt appeared from her left and hit her in the shoulder, knocking her back to the ground. The rock that she’d fallen off of rose with a black glow around it. It flew at her so quickly she hardly had time to scramble away.  
  
"No more chances, Merida," said a low voice. Hiccup's.  
  
"Get up and fight!" growled the smooth voice in her ear as her hand was encased in ice.  
  
"I can't, they're—" Her left leg was hit with a sonic cannon blast.  
  
Suddenly the monsters she and Pitch had recruited rose from the ground to attack the Titans. Merida dashed into an alleyway and left her five former teammates to fight off the creatures.  
  
"Pitch!" she yelled, running into his lair.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked. His tone was dangerously low. "I told you to fight."  
  
"They were killing me out there!" she exclaimed, breathing heavily.  
  
Pitch sneered. "That's nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you."  
  
After almost ten minutes of being thrown around, hit, and kicked, Merida rose from her spot on the cold floor. She tugged at her armor. "I'm done with this, Pitch! I'm out!"  
  
Pitch smiled at her feeble attempts to remove the armor. "It's a neural interface, remember. It's attached itself to your nervous system. There's no way to take it off without dying."  
  
Merida looked up in horror at her master. Just then, Jack Frost ran into the lair. "Merida," he said in earnest, "what are you doing? We were your friends."  
  
"Not anymore," said Pitch. He raised a fist and so did Merida. It glowed yellow as she hauled a rock from the ground. Pitch threw his hand forward—Merida's did too—and the rock soared to Jack. He jumped away just in time.  
  
"Stop!" she cried. "Stop controlling me!"  
  
"You came to me for control," chuckled Pitch.  
  
"This is not what I asked for!"  
  
"Merida," Jack said. "He can't control you. Fight him!" He took his staff and shot ice at Pitch. The man dodged it effortlessly.  
  
Rocks continued to fly at Frost, all the while him yelling that Pitch couldn't control her. Her every movement mirrored his.  
  
"Please," he said, near to tears, "fight it."  
  
The other four Titans rushed in behind Jack. "Jack!" warned Astrid. He dodged and froze every rock or molten monster.  
  
Jack rushed to Merida and took her hand. "Please. Fight it."  
  
She looked into his eyes, crying now. "I can't."  
  
"He's not making this happen, Mer! You are. Now stop."  
  
Merida shut her eyes tight, yelling with the pain it took to fight Pitch. Lava began to bubble up from the ground.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Rapunzel.  
  
Flynn looked at the screen on his arm. "She's activating a volcano. It'll destroy the whole city." Every Titan looked at her in horror.  
  
"Go," Merida urged Jack. "I'm the only one who can stop this."  
  
"But, my ice powers—"  
  
She shook her head, tears streaking down her dirty face. Smiling serenely, she said, "It's not enough. Go."  
  
Jack's countenance softened. He shut his eyes, unwilling to believe she would die for him—that is, the Titans and the people of Jump City. At length, he let go of her hand and ran after his friends, looking back every few seconds.  
  
A scream erupted from Merida from the effort it took to stop the lava.

* * *

  
_Her name was Merida. She was gifted with tremendous power—and cursed with it as well. She was a dangerous enemy and a good friend. And she was one of the bravest people that I have ever known._

* * *

  
Later that week, the Teen Titans went to the destroyed lair. Jack held something in his hand. They walked up to the statue that had once been Merida. Rapunzel carefully dropped a bouquet of flowers beside her.  
  
"We'll find a way to bring her back," said Astrid gently.  
  
"Someday," Hiccup assured him.  
  
Jack, his voice breaking, said softly, "I'll never forget you, Merida."  
  
Jack took a shuddery breath and placed a plaque in front of the statue. The plaque read:

MERIDA  
  
A TEEN TITAN  
  
A TRUE FRIEND


End file.
